Elastic cord



Aug. 22, 1933. c. FAURE-ROUX 1,923,926

ELASTIC CORD Filed April 5, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l l N v NT tAqf/zsgurzgoux Bf: f -f ATTOR NETS.

Aug. 22, 1933. c. FAURE-ROUX 1,923,926

ELASTIC CORD Filed April 5, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig/l2 A TTORn/EYS Aug. 22, 1933. Q FAURE-RQUX 7 1,923,926

ELASTIC CORD Filed April 5, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig:

ATTORNEY! C. FAURE-ROUX Aug. 22, 1933.

ELASTIC CORD Filed April 5, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INYEHT'OR:

mm 8 wm M z z w 4 4/ A rm St-Chamond, France.

S ()FF 'I CE;v

1,923,926 ELASTIC coal) Charles Fame-Roux, st-Chamond. France, assignor to Etablissements Ch. Faure-Roux,

Application April '5, 1930. Serial No. 441,737, and in France March 5, 1930.

' 3 Claims. (01. 261-63) This invention relates to the manufacture of an extensible device (elastic cord or band) comprising a core forming a loop and surrounded by a sheath of textile material, the same being adapted for use as an extensible device or a shockabsorber, for example in aeroplane landing gears.

Devices of this kind are known sheath of textile material is braided in which the in a continuous way along the whole length of the loop by turning around the same.

It is an object of nay-invention to place injustaposition before braiding both the strands of the'loop and to braid said strands together for I obtaining a substantially straight article, instead of annular, as in the known devices.

In the accompanying drawings which are given solely by way of example: Fig. l is an external viewof an elastic cord or extensible apparatus in accordance to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a lengthwise section on of Fig. l.

the line 22 Fig. 3 is a view of one end of the apparatus,

with its covering cap removed.

Fig. 4 is a side view of one of th e thimbles or pulleys upon which the elastic threads are wound. Fig. 5 is a front view oi-the attaching members or plates which are mounted at the respective sides of each thimble, and serve to secure the skein upon the braiding machine.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the arrangement of the plates and corresponding thimble.

Fig. 7 isa partial front View of the same.

Fig. 8 is a front view of an extensi ble apparatus after thewinding of the elastic thread.

Fig. 9 is a corresponding side view.

Fig. 10 is 'a similar View after the ends of the plates have been brought together before mounting the apparatus upon the braiding machine. Fig. 11 shows the apparatus after the sheath has been formed and before the three ends of the threads which form bordered.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the sheath have been the winding machine for the manufacture of the skein.

Fig. 13 is a partial vertical section showing the skein.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of t he removable on the other hand to transfer the braiding machine while maintain tension. I

skein to the ing it under automatic device for regulating the tension of the elastic thread during. the winding of the I Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the said braiding machine.

Fig. 16 is a detailview showing the method oi mounting the skein on the belt of the said braiding machine by means of the attaching members or plates. 1

In the example of construction shown in Figures land 2, theelastic cord or extensible device consists of a loop or skein made of elastic threads either bare or covered, which are wound ered by a single sheath 4 consisting of any textile material (cotton, flax/hemp, natural silk, artificial silk, or the like). Said sheath may be woven, knitted or braided. v f

The ends of the apparatus, which are more, or less surrounded by the threadsof the said sheath 4 or by strings usedfor binding together the outer ends of said threads, are covered by two caps 5, 5 of any suitable metal, .aluminium or thelike. Said caps are held in a very simple manner by means of tubular rivets 6, 6 inserted into the holes 3, 3 of said thimbles 2, 2 7 7 The manufacture of said apparatus comprises two principal steps. In the first of these, the skein itself is manufactured'by winding the elas second step, the skein being under a suitable ten- 'sion, is covered by the sheath 4. Said operation is preferably performed upon a braiding machine adapted for the purpose.

The winding operation of the skein is pre ferably effected under tension, and thus the skein can be directly transferred from the winding ma- .chine to the other machine.

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view of the-machine ror'winding the skein Said machine comprises a main frame or table 7- having bearings 8, 9 in which is rotatable a reel-'10 carrying the elastic thread-used for the manufacture of the skein.

Said reel 10 is provided'with a braking device which may consist of astrip 11 attached atone end to the table 7 and connected at its opposite endby a rod. 12 to a lever 13 pivoting on -a-n axle 14 mounted on the frame 7. At the end 'of the lever .13 is mounted a counterweight 15 whose action automatically-applies the said strip 2 2 11 against the reel 10, thus braking the latter. At the other end of the main frame is a horizontal shaft 18, rotatable in bearings 16-1'7 and carrying at one end, at the side of the frame, a handle 19, by which it may be turned. Upon its other end is keyeda carrier 20 in the form of a board. On said board may be secured a removable support which is shown on a larger scale in Fig. 14; and consists essentially of two blocks 21, 22 which may be secured on the board 20 at their rear faces 23, 24 by means of screws or otherwise. Said two blocks are connected by parallel rods 25 along which is slidable a third block or slide 26. The displacements of said block 26 are effected by means of a screw 27 journalled in the block 21 and screwing into the slidable block 26. The screw 27 has a square or hexagonal end 28 by which it can be turned. On

the front faces of the stationary block 21 and the movable block 26 are posts 29, 30 having at.

the ends supporting studs or axles 31, 32 adapted to receive the two thimbles 2, 2 upon which the elastic thread is to be wound. Said thimbles are held by screws 33, 34 upon the axles 31, 32, upon which they are rotatable.

The machine just described for the manufacture of the skein is supplemented by a device for regulating the tension of the elastic thread. Said device, which may have any desired arrange-- ment, is preferably constructed as follows:

The thread 35 (Fig. 12) proceeding from the reel 10 to the thimbles 2 and 2 carried by'the removable support secured to the board 20, passes over two supporting pulleys 36, 37. Between said pulleys, a weight 33 (Fig. 13) is suspended from the thread 35 by a pulley 39. Said weight has in its lower part a recess 19 adapted to contain ballast for regulating the weight. At its upper 4 part, above the pulley 39, the said weight 38 carries a small vessel 11 containing mercury 12. The device consisting of the weight 38 and vessel 41 is freely slidable in a vertical guiding tube (13 carried by the table '7 of the machine. Above the weight are disposed two metallic points or rods 14 constituting two electric terminals forming parts of a circuit supplying an electro-magnet disposed above the counterweight 15 of the brake for the reel 10.

The operation is as follows: Each of the thimbles 2, 2 before it is placed upon the removable support, is provided with two auxiliary attaching members formed by end plates 100, 101 (Figs. 6 and '7). Each of said plates (Fig. 5) consisting of a thin strip comprises a head 102 provided with an aperture 103 by which the plate can be engaged upon the two cylindrical collars 104 or 105 of the thimble. The plates are very simply held in place on the thimble by a few punch strokes made at 106 in the collars 104, 105 of the thimble. Each plate 100, 101 is provided at a certain distance frorn'the aperture 103 with a hole 107. Moreover, the central part of the plate 101 has an aperture 108 whose width exceeds the width e of the central part of the plate 100.

The thimbles 2, 2 provided with the attaching plates 100, 101 as just described are placed on the studs 31, 32 of the removable support (Fig. 14) and held upon said studs by the screws 33, 34.

The reel 10 of elastic thread is then mounted in its bearings 8, 9; the free end of the thread is taken out, and the thread 35 is placed upon the supporting pulleys 36, 37 and also upon the brake 11 is released, and the excess of thread used for the initial placing of the thread is wound back upon the reel 10. This winding back of the thread on the reel 10 is stopped when the weight 33 is in its proper place in the lower part of the guide tube 43; the said elastic thread35 being thus given a suitable tension.

The handle 19 is then rotated whereby the thread is wound upon the thimbles 2, 2 The reel 10 is now stationary, as it is braked by the strip 11 which is under the control of the counterweight 15. The weight 38 will thus rise until the two points 14 enter the mercury 42 of the vessel 41. The circuit of the electromagnet 45 is thus closedythe electrcmagnet 45 raises the counterweight 15, thereby releasing the reel 10. Said reel rotates to deliver elastic thread and the counterweight 38 descends. At this time, the current ceases to act upon the counterweight l5 of the brake, and the weight descendsagain braking the reel 10. The operation above described is then resumed in such manner that the tension of the thread 35 will be maintained at a practically constant value.

As the board 20 continues to rotate, the thread 1 35 is wound in a continuous manner upon the thimbles 2, 2 in order to form the skein. When the number of strands of said skein is sufficient, the winding is stopped' The thread is cut off, and the last strand of the skein is attached in any 1 suitable manner. After this operation, the extensible device has the appearance shown in Figs. 3, 9 and 12. It is still carried by the removable support and held at the proper tension.

It only remains to surround said skein with its 1 sheath 4 on a braiding machine. Fig. .15 is, a diagrammatic view of a braiding machine adapted for said operation. It comprises a horizontal table or plate 16 mounted upon uprights 4'7. A certain number of bobbins 43 are movable by 1 suitable driving means upon the said plate according to the sinuous lines of grooves 19, formed in the said plate; The threads from said bobbins are supported upon two collecting members formed by rings 5152.

Said machine comprises also a belt 53 stretched between two pulleys 54-55 disposed respectively above and below the plate. The top pulley 54 is the driving pulley and is actuated by a speed reduction device which may consist of gears 60, 61, 1 62, 63 from a driving shaft 64. The motion can be reversed by an intermediate pinion 65;

The belt 53, which is provided with a suitable stretcher 66, is interrupted upon a part of its length between the points A and 13 (Figure 15) in this purpose, each end A, B, of the belt 53 is terminated (Figure 16) by a pair of bent strips 1 56, 57,'which are secured to the belt by an axle 58 placed in an overturned portion 59 of the belt.

When the machine is at rest, the two free ends A and B of the belt are preferably joined to each other by means of hooks or the like whereby the belt will be maintained in its place upon the pulleys.

The operation is as follows: The extensible device has now the appearance shown in Figures 8, 9 and 14. It is still stretched, since the thimbles 2 and 2 are still mounted upon the removable supports 21, 22.

As shown in Figure 10, the ends of the plates and 101 are then brought together by means 1 of any suitable tool. When this has been effected, and with the extensible device still upon the removable support, the said device is brought adjacent the belt 53 of the braiding machine be-. tween the points A and B, in such manner that the ends, now brought together, of the plates 1G0, 101, will be inserted between the ends of the strips 56, 57 (Figure 16) carried by the belt The said plates 100, 101 can now be connected to the strips 56, 57 by an axle 67. The extensible device is thus inserted into the belt 53 and since the length B, of the belt, (which can be ad justed by the stretcher 66) is equal to the distance L (Figure 8) between the holes 107 of the plates 1G0, 101 and 100 101 mounted on the thimbles 2, 2 the elastic apparatus, when attached to the belt, will maintain its tension and it may then be released from the movable support.

Now, the manufacture or" the sheath 4 is proceeded with. The belt 53 is vertically raised and then lowered, (by means of the reversing device) and the threads 50 from the bobbins 48 will thus be made to travel the whole length of the skein,

in both directions, andfthe sheath 4 can thus be given'several thicknesses. When the said sheath t is completed-the elastic apparatus can be removed from the belt 53. It at once shortens up, and now has the appearance shown in Fig. 11. At one end, the sheath 4.- is entirely finished, at the other end, the ends of its threads are loose, and are then to be united, either by a splicing of any kind or by means of an additional thread or string wound about the thimble 2 and around the plates 1G0, 101. When the sheath 4 is thus bordered, the end plates 100, 100 and 101, 101 are out ch at a, b, (Fig. 5). The narrow part of the plates 100, 100 is inserted into the slot 108 of the plates 101, 101 then the two ends or the plates are turned back so as to unite then'uas shown in Figures 2 and 3. extensible apparatus are covered by the caps 5 and 5 and said caps are secured by the tubular rivets 6 and 6 The extensible apparatus is now complete.

The two ends 01 the I The elastic cords or'bands, or extensible devices manufactured according to the invention, are of a reduced size and a very strong construction.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the forms of construction shown and described, which have been given solely by way of example.

Having nowdescribed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: a

1. An extensible device for use as shock absorber in aeroplane landing gears and for other purposes comprising an endless core made of elastic thread and forming a hank, attaching members at the ends of said hank and a longitudinally contractible and expansible sheath enclosing loosely both strands of said hank together over the entire portion thereof between said attaching means, so as to allow said strands to expand and contract freely on their whole length.

2. An extensible device for use as shock absorber in aeroplane landing gears and for other purposes comprising an endless coremade of elastic thread and forming a hank, attaching members at the ends of said hank and a longitudinally contractible and expansible sheath enclosing loosely both strands of said hank to gether over the entire portion thereof between said attaching means and in direct contact with said elastic thread, so as to allow said strands to expand and contract freely on their whole length.

3. An extensible device for use as shock absorber in aeroplane landing gears and for other purposes comprising an endless core made of.

elastic thread and forming a hank, attaching members at the ends of said bank and a longitudinally contractible and expansible sheath enclosing loosely both strands of said hank together, as well on the entire portion between said attaching members as on the portion opposite said attaching members, so as to allow said strands to expand and contract freely on their whole length.

CHARLES FAURE-ROUX. 

